Administration Engages Western Hemisphere on Broadband

At the Summit of the Americas in Colombia, President Obama announced a new initiative to enhance broadband access in the Western Hemisphere. The “Broadband Partnership of the Americas” is intended to rally governments, donors, and businesses towards this goal in order to elevate the hemisphere’s competitiveness and prosperity.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, whose agency will be providing support for this effort, stated, “The Broadband Partnership of the Americas provides participating countries with an opportunity to harness the significant potential of broadband technology to meet pressing social challenges, drive economic growth and create jobs throughout the region.”

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the primary manager of this initiative, highlighted that in Latin America and the Caribbean broadband use is below the global average and a 10 percent increase in use would boost the region’s GDP and productivity.

Learn more about “Broadband Partnership of the Americas” from USAID and the FCC.